Remembering the great prelate by example
Most Venerable Madihe Pannasiha Maha Nayaka Thera’s 100th birth anniversary falls on June 21. Born in the coastal village of Madiha to a family with mixed parents (with a devout Buddhist mother and a Christian father) as Tennyson William Pujitha Gunawardena, he donned robes at the age of 13.
He grew up as a monk under the tutelage of Pelene Sri Vajiranana Maha Nayaka Thera at Vajiraramaya succeeding him as Maha Nayaka of the Amarapura Sri Dharmarakshita Nikaya. He established the Sri Vajiranana Dharmayatanaya – the Bhikkhu Training Centre at Maharagama with brother monk Venerable Ampitiye Sri Rahula Nayaka Thera in 1958.He spoke fearlessly on national issues and devoted his life for the benefit of fellow beings. He passed away on September 9, 2003.
Ven Chandakitti Thera addressing the gathering at the commemorative event
The Bhikkhu ward at the Ayurveda Hospital at Nawinna has been totally renovated and will be opened on Friday, June 21. The opening ceremony marks a special occasion. It commemorates the one hundredth birth anniversary of the Most Venerable Agga MahaPandita Madihe Pannasiha Maha Nayaka Thera.
“What better way to commemorate this great monk of our era,” says Talalle Chandakitti Thera, a pupil of the Maha Nayaka Thera under whose feet he studied at the Maharagama Sri Vajiranana Dharmayatanaya.
This is the second commemorative ‘pinkama’ that Chandakitti Thera has organised to mark the late prelate’s birth anniversary. A few weeks ago, two schools founded by the Maha Nayaka Thera in the North – Madihe Maha Vidyalaya at Puttur and Sri Narada Vidyalaya at Karaveddy – in the 1960s were given a facelift and desks, benches and chairs were provided. Among other materials donated were musical instruments, a photocopy machine and a computer. Narada Vidyalaya’s walls were colour washed and the playground was done up. School bags, shoes, books and stationery were distributed among the school children.
It was a pleasant surprise for those present when Chandakitti Thera addressed the gathering in Tamil. He received a big ovation.
Apart from the two schools, materials were also distributed among students attending the Buddhist Daham Pasala conducted in Tamil at the Sri Nandarama Buddhist School in Jaffna on the initiative of the chief monk at the Naga Viharaya. Forty students attend the school.
Chandakitti Thera told them that they were being given schools bags and other needs not for reasons of poverty but as a token of appreciation for their valiant effort in continuing their adherence to Buddhist teachings in spite of the difficult times during the thirty year war. The well-disciplined students all dressed in white were a total contrast to many others seen elsewhere.
The rendition of a Sinhala Buddhist song by a female student was the highlight of the ceremony. These activities, organised by the Dhammadeepa Foundation, the social service organisation headed by Chandakitti Thera, were planned in recognition of the late Maha Nayaka Thera’s efforts at building communal harmony and helping the needy whether they be the laity or the clergy. Members of the Sasana Sevaka (male) and Sevika (female) societies – both founded by the Maha Nayaka Thera also contributed lavishly enabling the organisers to purchase materials to the tune of over one and a half million rupees.
Jaffna Security Forces Commander, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe and Naval Commander Northern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Shirantha Udawatta lent their fullest cooperation in organising the ceremonies which were presided over by Tiricunamale Ananda Anu Nayaka Thera, who is a senior student of the Maha Nayaka Thera.
It was on the suggestion of the president of the Dharmavijaya Foundation, Olcott Gunasekera that Chandakitti Thera paid a visit early in the year to Jaffna and saw the plight of the schools established by the Maha Nayaka Thera. Incidentally, the Dharmavijaya Foundation was founded by the Maha Nayaka Thera in 1977 to work towards the total development of man, both spiritually and physically, with the application of Buddhist principles to economic development.
Meanwhile, Madihe Maha Nayaka Thera’s writings are being made available on the web. Hundreds of articles have been published in the newspapers and journals since 1945 starting with ‘Lak Budu Sasuna’ and ‘Sinhala Bauddhaya’. In the early days he wrote mainly on Buddhist themes/with the accent on transforming the lifestyles of the people towards a simple way of life based on the teachings of the Buddha. Since the late 1950s he wrote to the national dailies on socio-economic issues affecting the masses. He commented on religious and national issues without fear or favour as a true patriot. While most of the articles have been published in eight volumes of ‘Pragna Prabha’ (1983-98), the early issues are out of print. Unpublished articles will also be made available on the web.
The museum at the Dharmayatanaya is being revamped for the public to get a glimpse of the life led by the Maha Nayaka Thera through exhibits and audio visual presentations.
Having donned the robes at the age of 13, the Maha Nayaka Thera led an exemplary life as a monk. He was one with vision and wisdom. The monks who have stepped out of the Bhikkhu Training Centre he established at Maharagama continue to follow the path their teacher taught them. Their service in many parts of the country through temples established on the initiative of the Maha Nayaka Thera bear testimony to their commitment to continue the great prelate’s efforts to make our society a better place to live in.
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